The Poetry Marathon

Fashion never really visited my mother,

or her wardrobe,

she despised the idea of following a

t r e n d,

to her that made you a sheep,

a label we were meant to dread,

my mother never bought new clothes,

like other mothers did,

to her that was a complete waste

of money,

so she made her own instead;

she would sit at her old machine,

unit the early morning hours,

obsessed with black material,

decorated with horrible gaudy flowers.

If the only apples left in the world

were ‘granny smiths’,

I’d never eat another apple again,

you won’t find them in any of my

apple pies,

Green apples?

not I,

thanks to you

and the enforced

‘granny smith’ years;

they were an organic diet pill

in your twisted mind,

to me they are the essence

of my life with you,

unsatisfying,

cold,

bitter.

I ran and ran but got nowhere,

when I looked down I had no feet,

but wings that took me to my heart,

that in my dreams so warmly beats;

all around me colours whirl,

like flashing lights sent to remind,

that once my world was dark and bleak,

but my wings help leave that world behind;

it’s when I wake and look around,

I realise each day is a new chance,

to step toward the lights of life,

and live it like a merry dance.

There were never stories at bed time,

with a hug and a kiss,

there was no connection,

they were merely the kids;

a duty,

obligation,

quite simply a chore,

needed to cover the truth

behind closed doors;

a marriage of convenience,

with no love in the mix,

the ones that suffered the most,

were those

three

kids;

they paid with their hearts,

they paid with their souls,

that slowly froze inside them,

from a mother so cold.

Solitude is something I crave all the time,

a perfect chance to stop and calm my racing mind,

too many people create too much noise,

solitude helps me to hear my own voice,

it helps ground me to the things I hold close,

books, writing, my cat, and my home,

all essential elements to have by my side,

I don’t require much for my solitary life.

I remember the night our new house burned to the ground,

I remember the lights and sirens of the emergency vehicles,

I remember the smoke billowing out of the front windows,

Cascading like a stream of tears

Slipping away into the night;

I remember watching the neighbours in their tight little aloof group,

Guiltily staring as our house burned down,

Grateful it was us and not them,

I remember the night our new house burned to the ground.

How I wish that I could show you

all the beauty I can see,

from the rainbow reaching overhead,

to the world beneath the sea,

the glint of sun on  window panes,

washed clean by winter’s gift,

the way the grass moves and sways

when touched by wind’s soft kiss,

perhaps the sight of new-born birds,

that herald in the spring,

so many simple joys forgotten,

in this busy world we’re in.

He jumped the counter

holding a knife,

grabbed the teller,

threatened her life,

all for money

and a bit of revenge,

angry at life,

and what it gave him,

the whole event,

over in a flash,

the after effects

much longer than that,

he didn’t get away,

within minutes he was caught,

punished for three months

while the teller is still fraught,

with the horror, the pain,

a completely senseless act,

he threatened her life,

does anyone care about that?

Curse me not with your pity,

or self-proclaimed intelligence,

delusions of importance,

mythical wit;

I find myself uninspired,

just incredibly tired,

of your self-indulgence,

disproportionate confidence,

imaginary superiority;

your lack of respect for others

astounds me constantly,

and yet I stay,

and allow you to do the same.

We’re allowed to shoot them these days,

those pesky little brats

they get three written warnings,

then that’s the end of that;

we pack them off to cryogenics

to wait their turn to die,

when we’ve got a group of ten

we get to end their lives;

you look a little horrified,

but you’re living in the past,

our crime rate is down

employment’s up,

they learned the lesson fast;

welcome to the new earth,

you’ve been frozen for a while,

time to get you all cleaned up,

today is the beginning of your trial.